There are not many certified car seat technicians available in northeast Wisconsin and as of this week, there is one less.
Changes at the Green Bay Metro fire department has put their technician back in the field and pushing the some-200 checks they did annually onto other agencies.
There are only three places now with just a handful of technicians.
One of them is the Center for Childhood Safety. They already take care of around 400 each year and now they will help take over checks for families who would've gone to the fire department.
Even with the dwindling number of technicians available on a regular basis, having your car seat installed by a certified technician is crucial to the child's safety. Nine out of 10 car seats in Wisconsin are installed incorrectly when done at home, and could be hazardous to the child if the vehicle were involved in crash.
Without the fire department there are just three places in northeast Wisconsin with technicians on hand on a weekly basis for appointments. One of them is the De Pere Health Department where Erin Bongers does the checks with two De Pere firefighters twice a month. You can visit their website or call them at 920-339-4054 to set up an appointment.
However the De Pere Health Department is exclusive to De Pere residents. So if you don't live there, you are directed to the Brown County Health Departmentor the Center for Childhood Safety.
More people are being recruited to become certified. The process involves taking a 4-day class in southern Wisconsin which is only offered once a year, and also staying up to date with the latest car seat regulations.
Often there is a wait involved before your scheduled appointment so it is best to plan ahead if your family is about to grow. But the service is free of charge and can protect your child if something were to go wrong.
